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Thread: Basic Strategy

  1. #1


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    Basic Strategy

    Hey guys,


    New here so I’ll try not to make too much of a nuisance of myself.


    10 years or so ago I started reading up on AP and got pretty good at HiLo on Casino Verite, but after some major life changes all that fell by the wayside and forgotten.


    Here I am again with a renewed interest and in a position where I can start feeding that interest, and was hoping some advice.


    My goal is to get very strong at basic strategy before learning a simple count. Knockout or Red Sevens seem appealing once the basic strategy milestone is reached.


    My question is regarding the correct books to help study good basic strategy. I have been reading this site and one of the books recommended is “Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter”. Skimming through it, I like the way each hand and decision is dealt with logically without the author throwing out charts and saying “here it is”.


    As good a book as this seems, I want a well rounded grasp of Basic Strategy so it’s understood inside and out before learning to count. I believe this way natural deviations will be discovered before memorizing the go to deviations for counters. I’m hoping this route will produce a solid game,


    Here are the books of interest and was hoping someone could shoot holes in this and steer me in a better direction if needed. These books primarily deal with basic strategy although some do touch on counting.


    Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter by Avery Cardoza
    T-H Basic Blackjack by T Hopper
    Progression Blackjack by Donald Dahl (not interested in progression. Only basic strategy)
    Blackjack: The Complete - Blackjack Basic Strategy by Pat Filice
    The theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffen


    Thanks in advance for everyone’s help.


    ~ Tony

  2. #2


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    If it’s only basic strategy you’re after for now, just download the strategy charts. As basic strategy will vary by rule set, make sure you download the correct chart.

  3. #3


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    Quote Originally Posted by Tony08888 View Post
    Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter by Avery Cardoza
    T-H Basic Blackjack by T Hopper
    Progression Blackjack by Donald Dahl (not interested in progression. Only basic strategy)
    Blackjack: The Complete - Blackjack Basic Strategy by Pat Filice
    The theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffen
    First, note spelling: Griffin. Second, seeing his book on the list is like having four books of the nature of Fun With Dick and Jane and then finishing with Quantum Physics and Einstein's Theory of Relativity! So, no, you don't want Griffin at this juncture of your studies. And you don't want any of the others, either. See Freightman's advice, above, and go here:
    https://www.blackjackinfo.com/blackjack-basic-strategy-engine/


    Don

  4. #4


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    There are thousands of articles and websites on Kelly on the internet. But this simple statement is worth reading:
    Section 5: The Dangers of Over-Betting and Over-Estimating Your Edge

    These graphs [There aren't any! --D.S.] illustrate the long term power of using Kelly sizing to increase one's bankroll over time, and beg the question, 'if Kelly betting will lead to such incredible returns, then betting double or triple Kelly must lead to even higher returns!' Referred to as 'over betting,' this misguided notion is one of the reasons that so many +EV sports bettors go broke just like their square compatriots. It turns out that someone betting 1.5 Kelly has the same expected growth as someone betting 0.5 Kelly, but with tremendously wilder upswings and downswings, and much more risk. Betting 2 Kelly actually has the same expected return as not betting at all: exactly zero, and betting more than two Kelly has a negative long term expected growth even if you are making positive expected value bets, and your bankroll will eventually fall to zero! In conclusion, Kelly sizing is in fact, as has been stated several times, the point at which return is exactly optimal.

    Don

  5. #5


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    Quote Originally Posted by Tony08888 View Post
    Hey guys,


    New here so I’ll try not to make too much of a nuisance of myself.


    10 years or so ago I started reading up on AP and got pretty good at HiLo on Casino Verite, but after some major life changes all that fell by the wayside and forgotten.


    Here I am again with a renewed interest and in a position where I can start feeding that interest, and was hoping some advice.


    My goal is to get very strong at basic strategy before learning a simple count. Knockout or Red Sevens seem appealing once the basic strategy milestone is reached.


    My question is regarding the correct books to help study good basic strategy. I have been reading this site and one of the books recommended is “Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter”. Skimming through it, I like the way each hand and decision is dealt with logically without the author throwing out charts and saying “here it is”.


    As good a book as this seems, I want a well rounded grasp of Basic Strategy so it’s understood inside and out before learning to count. I believe this way natural deviations will be discovered before memorizing the go to deviations for counters. I’m hoping this route will produce a solid game,


    Here are the books of interest and was hoping someone could shoot holes in this and steer me in a better direction if needed. These books primarily deal with basic strategy although some do touch on counting.


    Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter by Avery Cardoza
    T-H Basic Blackjack by T Hopper
    Progression Blackjack by Donald Dahl (not interested in progression. Only basic strategy)
    Blackjack: The Complete - Blackjack Basic Strategy by Pat Filice
    The theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffen


    Thanks in advance for everyone’s help.


    ~ Tony
    “Winning Casino Blackjack for the Non-Counter” is an old book. That book was written based on the fact that blackjack games could be beaten back then with basic strategy. Nowadays the evil casinos make the game harder to beat so would need a stronger counting strategy. The KO count is a good starting point but it has it's disadvantages and weakness.

  6. #6


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    Thanks fellas. Good stuff.

    Frieghtman,

    I have the charts and access to any others I need. The issue I have is, by nature I need to know “Why?”. So, a chart just doesn’t do it for me. For instance a 12-16 stands on dealer’s 2 through 6 except 12 vs 2&3. Why? Because the chart says so? Unfortunately, by nature that’s just not good enough. If the chart told me to jump off a bridge, would I? No.

    I need to know the logic behind the move. What are the percentages of standing versus drawing on any given hand. Splitting or not? And so on.

    Seriouslyplayer ,

    I do realize it’s an older book and I do know that basic strategy by itself is a losing game. However, I feel I must get basic strategy mastered before moving on to the next step and so far his book is the best I’ve found that answers the question “Why?”Is it the best though? I don’t know. Hoping you guys do.

    The other books sound like they are of no value except for Griffin’s and I need to put on the shelf until later. Thanks for all the input.

    Other than “study the charts” is there other books that are recommended?

    Thanks,

    ~Tony

  7. #7


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    The charts are based on math, that's why.

  8. #8


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    I need to know the logic behind the move. What are the percentages of standing versus drawing on any given hand. Splitting or not? And so on.
    Almost everything you want to know is in BJA3. The only thing missing, which will be covered in BJA4, is information regarding the regaled FBM ASC, both Basic and Advanced.

    Surprised Don didn’t mention that. Oh, 1 last thing - it’s not a matter of percentages if standing VS hitting, it’s a matter if what makes the most money - a difference.

  9. #9


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    Red face

    Quote Originally Posted by Freightman View Post
    Almost everything you want to know is in BJA3. The only thing missing, which will be covered in BJA4, is information regarding the regaled FBM ASC, both Basic and Advanced.

    Surprised Don didn’t mention that. Oh, 1 last thing - it’s not a matter of percentages if standing VS hitting, it’s a matter if what makes the most money - a difference.
    What I was looking for Freightman! Thanks again.

    Oh, and the money thing.... Agree

  10. #10


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    Don Schlesinger? Wow

  11. #11


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    Tony08888,

    If you wish to gain a deeper insight into why you hit 12 vs. 2 or 3, or other intricacies of B.S., perhaps this might help.

    The link below contains a video from Michael Shackleford, the "Wizard of Odds", that demonstrates how to use Excel to generate Basic Strategy for blackjack.

    https://wizardofodds.com/video/black...asic-strategy/

    Hope this helps!

    Dog Hand

  12. #12


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    Hello

    If you want a book that explains some of the finer points of Basic Strategy, I recommend the "Blackjack Bluebook II" (2017 edition) by Fred Renzey. He does a very nice job in clarifying why some of the decisions are better than others (e.g. why you should not take Insurance when not counting, when you should hit or stand on 16 versus 10, depending on how your hand is composed, what is an offensive split (e.g. A-A) versus a defensive split (e.g. 8-8) etc. Sometimes the book is written extremely funny, particularly the part on why insuring a 20 is as stupid as insuring a 13. It was one of the first books I read on blackjack, together with "Knockout Blackjack" by Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs (which is a good introduction to the principle of card counting).

  13. #13


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    Another program that I have found useful for Basic Strategy is MGP's Combinatorial Analyser. It's available free of charge - just enter the rule set and the program will examine every hand that could be dealt, determine their probability of occurrence and calculate the EV as well as the Total Dependent and Composition Dependent house edge. Under Strategies you can see a Basic Strategy chart for the rule set entered as well as the Stand and Hit EV's for hard, soft and paired hands. A separate page is dedicated to Split EV's for paired hands.
    Casino Enemy No.1

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